On the occasion of the International Day of Forests (21 March), it is worth highlighting the importance of forests for life on the planet, but also the growing threats they face today, especially in the Mediterranean region.
Forests are one of the most important natural resources on Earth. They are home to rich biodiversity, regulate the climate, protect soil and water, and are instrumental contributors to the global carbon cycle. In Cyprus, forests cover about 19% of the total area of the island, which makes the need for their protection and proper management even more imperative.
However, forest ecosystems are currently under intense pressure. Climate change, combined with anthropogenic activities, leads to forest degradation and increases their vulnerability. Prolonged periods of drought, high temperatures, strong winds and extreme weather events create the ideal conditions for forest fires to occur.
Forest fires are one of the most important threats to Mediterranean ecosystems. Although they are a natural phenomenon, their frequency and intensity have increased significantly in recent years. This phenomenon is directly linked to the Climate Crisis, but also to the accumulation of flammable vegetation and the change in land uses.
The summer periods of recent years are among the warmest in recent decades, as a result of which the vegetation becomes particularly flammable. This trend is also confirmed by data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), according to which the average global temperature is approaching or even exceeding the 1.5°C limit. This continuous rise exacerbates drought and significantly increases the risk of forest fires
According to data from the Copernicus agency and NASA's FIRMS system, Europe is experiencing increasingly intense periods of wildfires, with hundreds of incidents and extensive burned areas each year. In Cyprus, the phenomenon is particularly intense, with dozens of incidents in the last decade and significant losses of natural wealth. A typical example is the catastrophic fire in mountainous Limassol in July 2025, one of the most serious in recent years, which showed that forest fires are becoming more and more frequent and intense in Cyprus.
In addition to the immediate destruction of vegetation, fires have multiple impacts: They increase carbon dioxide emissions, affect air quality and public health, degrade soil and water reserves, and lead to biodiversity loss. Particularly worrying is the phenomenon of repeated fires in the same area in a short period of time, which significantly hinders the natural regeneration of forests.
The decisive role of science and technology
In this context, science and technology play a crucial role. Remote sensing, through satellite data, offers valuable tools for monitoring forests and fires at all stages, from risk assessment before the event, to recording burned areas and assessing restoration.
The ERATOSTHENES Center of Excellence of the Cyprus University of Technology utilizes modern Earth Observation and Artificial Intelligence technologies to understand and manage forest ecosystems. Through the analysis of satellite data, fire risk forecasting tools are developed, such as indicators based on meteorological data, as well as risk assessment systems that combine environmental, climatic and anthropogenic factors. A prime example is the NADIRISK (https://nadirisk.com/) platform, which combines satellite data, meteorological information, topographic features, and anthropogenic factors to produce fire risk assessment maps. These maps can be used by competent authorities for early warning and better allocation of resources.
At the same time, the Center actively contributes to the mapping of fuel, a critical factor in understanding fire behavior, as well as to the monitoring of active fires and the mapping of burned areas. In addition, innovative methodologies are being developed to assess the severity of fires and prioritise areas for reforestation. Through the analysis of time series of satellite data, it is possible to monitor the recovery of vegetation and assess the effectiveness of restoration measures
However, forest fires are only one of many disturbances affecting forest ecosystems. In modern forest research, the study of a wider range of forest disturbances, i.e. natural or man-made factors that alter the structure and dynamics of forests over time, is of increasing interest.
A typical example is the transport of dust from the Sahara desert to the Eastern Mediterranean. Episodes of African dust affect the atmosphere and solar radiation that reaches the earth, affecting photosynthesis and vegetation health. Through satellite data, such as those of the Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites, it is now possible to monitor such phenomena on a large scale.
